An Interview With: Chad Campbell

Julius Mason: Good evening, once
again, ladies and gentlemen. Chad Campbell at
4-under after the third round of the 85th PGA
Championship. After he spends a little time with
us, he's going to the practice range, so this will be
nice and quick, so we'll try get around the room as
quickly as possible.

Some opening thoughts, we'll go through
your card and Q&A.

Chad Campbell: Today I felt really good
out there. I was able to get off to a good start. I
made a good par save on the par 3. I hit a bad
shot just short of the green and chipped it up just
past the hole and made a good putt down the hill.

After that I played really solid. Hit a lot of
fairways and a lot of greens and gave myself a lot
of opportunities for birdie. Toward the end of the
round, birdied 15, 16 and 18. Hit a bad tee shot on
17. That really was one of my only bad shots of
the day and I was able to get out of there with
bogey.

I birdied 5. I hit 3-wood, 9-iron to about a
foot.

7, hit 3-wood, 3-iron to about a foot.

8, hit driver, wedge -- driver, sand wedge to
about 15 feet.

Then 15, hit 6-iron to probably 15 feet.

16, driver, 60-degree wedge to about two,
three feet.

17, hit my tee shot way right. Hit a tree and
kicked further right. So hit a wedge back into the
fairway and hit 7-iron to the middle of the green
and 2-putted.

18, hit driver, 5-iron to the middle of the
green and made about a 35-footer.

Q: Does anybody ever confuse you for
Micheel and vice versa? With the hat it's kind of
similar facial look.

Chad Campbell: No, really hasn't
happened that much. I can see where you come
from with that question but it really hasn't
happened.

Q: Obviously, you've had a great year and
have been getting publicity as the months have
gone on as a hot, young player. Can you talk
about your status as a growing player on TOUR,
and now, going into a major, probably playing in
the last group, and how you feel you've kind of
come to this point?

Chad Campbell: Last year, obviously
was my first year on TOUR. You know, I didn't feel
like I played that well last year, but I had a little bit
of success. It gave me a lot of confidence coming
into this year and I felt really comfortable for the
entire year this year. I was able to get in
contention two, three or four times, quite a few
times. I was just really starting to feel comfortable.
Obviously, being in the last group of this
tournament is a little bit different than any other
tournament, but I think I'm going to try to approach
it the same way and go out there and just keep
playing the way I've been playing and try to hit a lot
of fairways.

Q: Just curious what the reaction was to
the Sports Illustrated cover with your family and
friends, and if you ever felt a little pressure when
you first saw that?

Chad Campbell: No pressure, really. I
think everybody loved it. Even a lot of fans, there's
no telling how many covers I've signed for people
that have mailed them to me, or just people that
I've seen out here.

I think it's been great, and it was great for
me to get my name out there. I can't have nothing
negative to say about it. Everybody's loved it.

Q: Even though you don't get confused
with him, what do you know about Shaun, and
have you played much golf with him?

Chad Campbell: Actually, I know
Shaun decently well. We've just kind of ran into
each other along the way, different tournaments
here and there. Then obviously last year, got to
know with him a little bit better and was paired with
him quite a few times. I wouldn't say we are great
friends, but we get along with each other.

As far as his game, I know he's a good
player. I really don't know -- haven't played with
him enough to know exactly everything about his
game, but obviously, he's playing really well here,
and got to commend him on that.

Q: Talk a little bit about the significance of
that closing stretch, and in particular, being able to
bounce back from that bogey at 17 with the big
birdie bomb at 18.

Chad Campbell: That was huge. I
mean, I had quite a few putts today that I didn't
take advantage of, like 10, 12, 13. I had some
putts that were definitely makeable. It was nice to
get a few in at the end and kind of make up for
that.

The putt on 18 made up for all of the ones I
missed all day.

Q: First of all, have you been in the final
group of a PGA TOUR event?

Q: Just with the way that the trend has
gone this year with first-time major winners, have
you allowed yourself to think about it, or will you
allow yourself to think about it tonight?

Chad Campbell: I will say it will
probably enter my mind. I've tried to keep it out of
my mind but it's kind of inevitable that it will
happen. Still got a lot of golf to play, 18 holes
tomorrow. Just want to come out and try to stay
focused on what I'm doing and not try to get ahead
of myself.

Q: Obviously, you wanted to be in this
position, but did you really expect to be?

Chad Campbell: Yeah, I really do. I felt
like I've played well all year and have been working
really hard on my game. Lately, last week, really
started putting a lot better than I had been. I had a
lot of confidence coming into this week, so
definitely, expected to be contending. It's
obviously why you play in tournaments is to be in
contention. So I'm happy -- definitely happy to be
in that position.

Q: Tell us a little something about
Lewisville, Texas.

Chad Campbell: I've lived there for a
year now. I grew up in West Texas. It's around
Dallas, northwest part of Dallas. I've lived in the
Dallas area for about five years now.

Something in particular you want to know?

Q: Where did you grow up?

Chad Campbell: I grew up in Andrews,
west part of Texas.

Q: I've been racking my brain, I know
when I read that Sports Illustrated there was
some bizarre nickname someone hung on you and
some big mystery as to where it came from; can
you give us both answers?

Chad Campbell: The nickname is
"Skeeter" and I honestly have no idea where it
came from.

I would tell you if I knew. I've asked the guy
that tells it to me and he doesn't know either. So I
don't know where it came from.

Q: Normally in this situation, a Chad
Campbell will look at the names around him going
into a Sunday and see a Woods or a Mickelson.
You look around, you see Micheel, Tim Clark and
that sort of thing. Is there a comfort factor that you
are not running around with the people that you
know, that you know their game?

Chad Campbell: I think so, probably
being since I haven't been in this position before.
But you still go out there, and it's not like you're
concentrating on what they are doing. You're
trying to take care of your own business and you're
trying not to worry about -- you can't control what
other people are doing, so you might as well not
even think about it.

So it's really -- it's really not that big of a
deal.

Q: You've obviously proven yourself with
your play on TOUR, but how much does winning
drive you, especially considering your background?

Chad Campbell: Well, that's what I've
worked for all this year, trying to get my first win
out here. I have had some success in the past but
not on the PGA TOUR. You know, I'm ready to
win. I'm looking forward to it and I'm working hard
to get there. Hopefully sooner or later, it will come.

Q: Being from West Texas, are you a
wind player, and is that your style of play that's
shaped who you are and how you play the game?

Chad Campbell: I definitely think so. I
think it was an advantage growing up where it was
windy. You learn to play a lot of different shots, as
opposed to having perfect weather all the time; it
can get a little nasty out there sometimes.

Just being able to work your way around the
golf course and play different shots, I think it's
definitely been an advantage.